Reviews

It’s not just a name at Dampf Good BBQ in Cary

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Name: Dampf Good BBQ
Date: 2/7/25
Address: 6800 Good Hope Church Rd, Cary, NC 27519
Order: Texas Trinity: 1 pound brisket, 1 pound ribs, 2 sausages, with three sides plus a smoked brisket burger (link to menu)
Pricing: $$$

Monk: Another week, another top 50 Texas joint (outside of Texas). Dampf Good BBQ in Cary has been on my wish list for a few years now, but when I’m in Raleigh they tend to be either closed when I come in town for the Hopscotch Music Festival the week after Labor Day or I am otherwise occupied with a State football game and tailgating in preparation for what is certain to be mediocre football.

That changed this most recent trip while I was in town attending two nights of American Aquarium’s Roadtrip to Raleigh three night stand at The Lincoln Theater. I roped two friends of the blog Smorgan and Bill Fleming into coming with me for a late Friday lunch, both to enjoy the nice day but also so I could order more food.

Brothers Nick and Bryce Dampf have set up their food trailer and offset smokers on the grounds of Phillip Farms, and its a pretty sweet setup for a non-brick and mortar with not only the trailer and smokers under permanent metal awnings but also some of the seating for the guests. Phillips Farm is a 100+ year old farm in Cary that in recent decades has expanded to become more of a community gathering spot that hosts a farmers market and  family fun park in the spring, a seven acre corn maze, sunflower field, and Haunted Farm in the fall, and a Christmas tree farm and Winter Wonderland in the winter. While this was my first time visiting, I’ll keep my eye on it next time I’m in town with the full Monk family.

Much to my happy surprise, it was a relatively short line of maybe 6 parties in front of us at 12:30 for Friday lunch, though the line did grow quite a bit as we sat down to eat. Me and the boys waited in line maybe 10-15 minutes before we stepped up to make our order.

As the sole Barbecue Bro present, I offered to handle the ordering for the group and once that duty was agreed upon I was instantly drawn to the Texas Trinity Plate: one pound of brisket, one pound of spare ribs, two sausages, and three sides; I selected smoked mac and cheese, elote, and coleslaw. And then, because I was feeling frisky, I added a smoked brisket burger on top of our order.

The pork spare ribs were my favorite of the three meats, and the half rack was smoked nicely with a glaze that had a hint of sweetness. Altogether, a good balance between the sweetness of the glaze and the savory of the pepper-based rub. The ribs themselves were cooked perfectly and had a great bite to them. 

We got slices of both fatty and lean for our pound of brisket, and I had a slight preference of the lean between the two though both had the peppery bark you would expect from a top tier brisket while still having the proper amount of salt. We opted for one of each each of the sausages – polish and pepper muenster. Both were very solid.

I’ve buried the lede a little bit here, and the smoked brisket burger may have been the best part of the lunch. I split the burger (which I ordered all the way with cheese, pickles, and mayo on a potato bun) into quarters and both Smorgan and Bill were instantly huge fans. Greedily, I opted for the final quarter after a few minutes when no one was so bold as to take it.

I liked the smokiness of the mac and cheese, while not being overly smokey. The elote corn salad and the cole slaw offered a nice contrast to the fattiness of the meats. All very good sides.

For fans of Texas-style barbecue in the Triangle, I can’t recommend Dampf Good Barbecue enough. Along with Prime Barbecue in Knightdale, Sam Jones and Longleaf Swine in Raleigh, and Lawrence Barbecue in Durham, the Triangle has some pretty heavy hitters when it comes to new school barbecue. I must say, I’m a little bit jealous down here in Charlotte.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3 hogs
Brisket – 4.5 hogs
Ribs – 4.5 hogs
Sausage – 4 hogs
Burger – 5 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 4.5 hogs

Shotgun Willie’s Brings a Taste of Texas to East Nashville

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Name: Shotgun Willie’s
Date: 1/25/25
Address: 1500 Gallatin Pike S Suite 104, Madison, TN 37115
Order: “Tennessee style” pulled pork plate with dill pickled potato salad and honey poppy seed slaw plus a half pound of brisket and a beef sausage link (link to menu)
Pricing: $$$

Monk: Shotgun Willie’s opened up during the early days of the pandemic in 2020 and Speedy tried it in October of that year when the indoor seating was still restricted. He liked it enough, particularly the pulled pork and ribs over the brisket. In his Nashville rankings of 2020, he ranked it his fifth favorite barbecue joint in Nashville.

The Monkette’s gymnastics meet was taking place not too far away at the Gaylord Opryland, so we made an 8 minute drive on a Saturday morning and arrived shortly after their 11 o’clock opening. This location is actually not the same on that Speedy visited but its just a short 1.3 miles east across I-31E in the nearby town of Madison. It sits at the end of what looks to be a newer building sitting at the front of an older shopping center housing a former K-Mart-turned-bowling alley which is also a concert venue (I actually went to see The Get Up Kids that night with Speedy, in fact). According to the website, “[t]he new SGWBBQ is about 4x larger than its original location, with more smokers, more parking, plenty more chairs and the one thing he’s been wishing for since 2020… a mechanical bull!” I will note that the bull wasn’t operational at the time of this visit.

After I commiserated over the current form of Manchester United with the meat slicer who I believe to be the owner Bill, I went to work ordering food for my in-laws, my kids, my wife, and me. Bill kindly guided me towards the pulled pork plate when I started to order the pork and brisket by the pound, added a link, and then added sides after the fact, which saved me a little money. The kindness of Bill and his staff seemed to be a constant from the sounds of Speedy’s visit a little over 4 years ago.

Starting with the brisket as Speedy did, I was offered a choice of fatty or lean (going with fatty). Personally, I would have preferred a slightly thinner slice and one without a big vein of fat through it (though of course the latter could not be helped). It did have a nice peppery crust and on the whole wasn’t overly salty. The plate came with pickled onions and pickles and a slice of white bread so I did not hesitate in making a fold over for a few bites.

The pulled pork wasn’t dusted as aggressively as it was in Speedy’s photos and I found it to have good flavor. I shared my portion with both Monkettes (who got the queso mac and cheese as their entrees), and it was a hit with my girls.

Bill recommended the beef link (he prefers beef over pork in links), and boy he did not steer me wrong. The link (which is premade from Kiolbassa in San Antonio) had a nice snap and great beefy flavor.

Staying true to form, the sides of potato salad and cole slaw were above average. I tried a few bites of Mrs. Monk’s Brunswick stew, which she loved and I just couldn’t disagree. You can even get a Lone Star for your beer. So far, no real misses from Shotgun Willie’s.

It seems as if I’m not the only one who thinks highly of Shotgun Willie’s, as last year they were named one of the top 50 Texas barbecue joints outside the state by Texas Monthly Magazine. I’ll have to convince Speedy to check it out again and see if he’s in agreement but for me it’s among the very best barbecue joint that I’ve tasted in Nashville.

Speedy: After Monk told me about his solid experience, I decided I needed to give Shotgun Willie’s another try a few weeks later to see if it would move up the Nashville rankings (current #1: Bringles Smoking Oasis). I had a similar order to Monk, with the pulled pork sammie, brisket, and beef sausage. Like Monk, I enjoyed all, but did not find any one meat life-changing (though the cornbread muffin approached that distinction).

I enjoyed the pulled pork sandwich most, due to the heaping portion of pork that had just been pulled off the shoulder, and the good, hearty bread. The brisket and beef sausage both had really good flavor, but I agree with Monk that the brisket would be better sliced thinner, and I thought the sausage was a tad on the greasy side. Rereading my original review, I wish I had ordered a half rack of ribs, which I’ll have to save for next time.

Monk: Thanks for checking in, Speedy. This sounds like a good occasion for a refreshed Nashville Top 5. What say ye?

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4 hogs
Brisket – 4 hogs
Pork – 4 hogs
Sausage – 4 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs

A Quick Lunch at Honeyfire Barbeque Co.’s Stall in Downtown Nashville

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Name: Honeyfire Barbeque Co.
Date: 1/31/25
Address: 5055 Broadway Place, Level 2 South Stall 8, Nashville, TN 37203 (Assembly Food Hall)
Order: Pulled pork sandwich with sweet corn pudding (link to menu)
Pricing: $$

Monk: The Monk family gymnastics travels brought us to Nashville recently, and Mrs. Monk insisted on an afternoon on Broadway on our first day in town. Arriving in early afternoon, she had already scouted out Assembly Foodhall with the assumption that it would satisfy each of our tastes; I usually get a bit of a moan from the Monkettes when I announce we are going to a barbecue restaurant and I was saving that for the next day (more on that next week).

Assembly Foodhall has a prime location in downtown Nashville around the corner from Broadway and across the street from the Ryman. It features stalls from local Nashville eateries and bars like The Pharmacy Burger, Prince’s Hot Chicken, and Hattie Jane’s Creamery over two floors and like just about every other place in Nashville, regularly features live music.

The youngest Monkette (the pickiest eater among us) got a fancy grilled cheese, Mrs. Monk and the elder Monkette shared sushi rolls, and I got a lighter lunch of a pulled pork barbecue sandwich and a side at Honeyfire Barbeque Co.

The pork sandwich was dusted with a sweet rub and a squirting of their honey barbecue sauce but that was somewhat offset by the topping of a mayo-based coleslaw. All in all, this was a fairly satisfying sandwich albeit not overly smokey. My assumption is that it was smoked in a gasser at their main location in the Bellevue neighborhood and trucked into downtown.

Speaking of the Bellevue location, Speedy actually checked out Honeyfire back in 2020 and tried a 3-meat combo of pork, brisket, and ribs. His main complaint overall was a generally high level of sweetness. Though to be fair, he did add a heap of of additional sauce onto the pork thinking it was a vinegar sauce.

The small cup of corn pudding was on the sweeter end of the spectrum while not being overly sweet, and a nice complement to the sandwich.

Honeyfire Barbeque Co. was not the main barbecue joint I was looking forward to in Nashville, but I certainly did not regret visiting as it’s decent ‘cue that is served quickly (a plus in a food hall setting). And there’s better barbecue down the street at Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ at Chief’s, but in a pinch it’ll do the trick.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3 hogs
Pork – 3 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs

Can a Nashville honky-tonk have true ‘cue?

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Name: Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ at Chief’s
Date:10/12/24
Address: 200 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37201
Order: Pork belly skewer, smoked wings, Whole hog Combo with whole hog, ribs, brisket, turkey plus fries, hush puppies, collards, and mac and cheese; Lil Piggie Combo with whole hog and ribs plus fries and baked beans (link)
Pricing: $$

Speedy: Seven years into my life as a Nashvillian, I’ve learned a few things: 

  1. The hottest level in a hot chicken joint isn’t worth it 
  2. Stay far away from Broadway during CMA Fest
  3. Don’t expect much from the Titans
  4. You’re in for a rough next day if you find yourself on Printer’s Alley late at night
  5. The barbecue is (sadly) better in Memphis, and finally…
  6. Don’t trust the food at the honky-tonks 

Finding out that the whole hog king Rodney Scott was teaming with Eric Church (a North Carolina boy originally from Granite Falls) to open a barbecue joint on top of a honky-tonk right smack in the middle of Broadway gave me hope that the last two might change.

Monk: The Rodney Scott/Eric Church joint venture (backed by the Pihakis Restaurant group on the food side) was originally announced in January 2022. It would open in a location that formerly housed another honky-tonk Cotton Eye Joe, which was owned by John Rich of Big & Rich fame. It was expected to open sometime in 2023 but didn’t actually open until April of this year. While the top two floors are the actual restaurant, they do have a walk-up window on the street level that serves food to hungry patrons on Broadway from breakfast through dinner. 

Speedy: Our group of six got to Rodney Scott’s ahead of the dinner rush and were seated pretty quickly on the 5th floor of Chief’s (the lower of the two floors devoted to Rodney Scott’s). The dining area is fairly small but there are seats at the bar too as well as a smoker room right off to the side. Definitely not your typical barbecue joint. In true Barbecue Bros fashion, Monk and I ordered a bit of everything on behalf of the group, which they happily obliged. Food was delivered quickly, so we dug in.

No surprises here, but the whole hog took the proverbial cake and was the crowd favorite. Peppery and tender, every bite had a bit of smoke and was as good as I’d had from Rodney Scott in Charleston (alas, I have not been to Hemingway). The whole hog alone is reason to visit Rodney Scott’s. It is a must order item and I am ready to declare it the best smoked pork in Nashville.

Monk: Best in Nashville? That’s high praise! The ribs were the consensus second favorite meat of the meal, or perhaps even 1a to the whole hog depending on who you asked. The man just knows his way around a rack of ribs. What was less successful, and perhaps expectedly so, was the brisket. Compared with the rest of the meats, it simply failed to measure up.

Turkey may not have been the crowd favorite but it was a very solid meat that gave us a respite from the other, richer meats. Another mark in the “pro” column for ordering turkey at barbecue joints.

Speedy: The wings were another standout meat, with solid seasoning and good smoke. I preferred this as an appetizer to the pork belly skewer. While I do love a good meat on a stick, I thought the pork belly was a little overcooked, and slightly tough.

Monk: As for sides, we got a few different options: collards, baked beans, mac and cheese, fries, hush puppies, and cornbread. All were above average and our group more or less finished what was there between the two platters. 

Next time I’m honky-tonkin’ on Lower Broadway, I’m going to steer the group towards both Chief’s for the drinks and music as well as Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ for food. Not to mention the rooftop bar for drinks if the weather’s nice. I mean, at what other bar can you get food from a James Beard Award-winning pitmaster?

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3.5 hogs
Whole hog – 4.5 hogs
Brisket – 3.5 hogs
Ribs – 4.5 hogs
Turkey – 4 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs